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It is an atypical antipsychotic. It antagonizes various Dopamine receptors, especially D_2. It also (due to its atypical nature) antagonizes 5-HT receptors and to a lesser extent, adrenergic and histaminergic receptors.

It is used to control symptoms of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Mania, and extreme Aggressive behavior in certain populations.

It is not inherently 'bad', but it certainly doesn't have any recreational value. It doesn't make you "less of a human" but in higher doses over long periods of time, it can cause emotional blunting and apathy due to its harsh effects on the Dopamine receptors.

Some psychiatrists argue it is less 'emotionally blunting' than the old "typical" antipsychotics since it antagonizes 5-HT2C which causes the increase of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in certain areas of the brain.

Compared to the other atypicals, Risperidone is a bit more harsh with regards to Extrapyramidal effects and Prolactin release. But it isn't as sedating as Olanzapine, Quetiapine, and Clozapine. However, in SWIM's experience, it is not that great of a drug. The extrapyramidal effects occur way to close to the therapeutic dose. It feels more like a 'typical' antipsychotic than Olanzapine and others.

Well, you knew it was an antipsychotic, or you wouldn't have posted this thread in the antipsychotic subforum. If you were prescribed it, you should have received a short, layperson-friendly description of the drug and its potential side effects.

I've been taking a prescribed 1mg daily for bipolar disorder since October. I've gained weight because I'm ALWAYS hungry, thus always eating, and my face is having horrible acne break outs. I feel really shitty about myself because of these two things. I hope you can avoid having it prescribed to you by your doc.

First of all there are synapses, which allow a chemical or electrical message to pass to another cell or neuron. Neurons are the nerve cells that process and propagate chemical or electrical signals. The signal that is passed, via the synapse, to a neuro-receptor as a chemical messenger can also be called a neurotransmitter. A drug may inhibit a neurotransmitter, in which case it is referred to as an antagonist. Alternatively, it may enhance or increase neurotransmission, which makes it an agonist.

The attachment at the bottom of this post is a diagram from wikipedia of a neuron passing an electrical signal to synapse, which is then passed across the synaptic cleft to receptors. In this case Risperidone is a dopamine antagonist; it blocks the effects of dopamine. This blockade of dopamine is what makes drugs like risperidone useful in the treatment of psychosis. It is also the mechanism which gives rise to the extra-pyramidal effects of some anti-psychotic drugs like risperidone. These include features of Parkinson's disease, abnormal face and body movements, restlessness, and "rhythmic, involuntary movements of tongue, face, and jaw." Source: British National Formulary 62 September 2011.

This explanation is simplified and gives only a general idea of these concepts to get you started. For example, Serotonin receptors are also antagonised by risperidone as discussed by Axiom of Choice. Agonists and antagonists work in various ways, for example they may block receptors, or increase the availability of neurotransmitters. For those who want a more detailed explanation risperidone "is a dopamine D2, 5-HT2A, alpha1-adrenoceptor, and histamine-1 receptor antagonist." Source: BNF 62 September 2011

That's a difficult question to answer as you're talking about a lot of different drugs. Additionally, some of these drugs will have an impact on more than one type of neurotransmitter. Amphetamine sulphate is an example; it acts on serotonergic and dopaminergic systems (amongst others). An overdose of amphetamine or MDMA could lead to serotonin syndrome or toxicity, which would require it's own specific interventions. Individuals who overdose may present with different symptoms and effects, which means that treatment might vary in each case. As far as I know, there are no specific antidotes for overdoses in most cases, and the same goes for bad trips.

Risperidone would not be a suitable first-line (no pun intended) treatment for cocaine overdose, or for other drugs which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (sympathomimetics). The first step would be close monitoring and intensive support in hospital. Problems could include volume depletion (as in hyponatremia), cardiac arrhythmias, tachycardia, seizures, high blood pressure, agitation, and hyperthermia. All of these are treated symptomatically; for example benzodiazepines can be used to treat tachycardia, agitation, seizures, and hypertension. IV isotonic saline can be used to treat volume depletion, and rapid cooling is a treatment for hyperthermia. Source: British Medical Journal Best Practice, Cocaine Overdose.

As for stopping LSD trips or trips on other psychedelics, I would not recommend risperidone or any other antipsychotic drugs without medical supervision. These drugs have their own potential adverse effects as well, including neuroleptic malignancy, and should not be used unless they have been prescribed. Atypical antipsychotics have been implicated as precipitating factors in serotonin syndrome, when given in combination with other serotonergic agents. This means that risperidone combined with drugs such as antidepressants, Cocaine, MDMA and Amphetamine could be quite dangerous.

It can increase prolactin levels, in woman causing your period to stop and long term possible infertility, and increased prolactin can put you at risk for some sort of bone or cancer disease.

Thats what it did to me... people who take it under medical supervision (I was in a psychiactric hospital) have to have blood tests every week to monitor prolactin...
my periods stopped and my prolactin went through the roof so i had to be taken off it
also made me gain like 30 pounds.